


Happy new year

by suspicious_character



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy went to apologize it's all good now, M/M, cute boys being in love, new year celebration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 09:36:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13361796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suspicious_character/pseuds/suspicious_character
Summary: Billy and Steve attend a party for New Year, and almost miss the fireworks.





	Happy new year

**Author's Note:**

> So, for NYEve, I was in Miami and we were eating at a restaurant. We were waiting for the desert, but it was already 11.40pm. I was so scared I would miss the fireworks. But I didn't, and I got an idea. So here's the fiction.
> 
> Also, major thanks to my beta, who did an amazing job helping me. Thank you Organizeddexter!

Everyone was gathered in the Byers’ living room, it was a little crowded, but Ms. Byers had insisted on everyone staying for a while. Billy was sitting on the couch, listening to the conversations around him without actively participating in any of them.

On his right, he saw Max, moving her hands emphatically as she argued her point with Lucas. Billy’s relationship with her had improved a lot in the past year; in the aftermath of the incident at the Byers’ house last year he had tried really hard to be nice to her. Not in a ‘we’re a happy family’ kind of way, but in a ‘I can tolerate your presence around me,’ sort of way. He didn’t mind waiting for her after school when she was talking with her dorky friends, he drove her to the arcade when she asked - if he didn’t have anything better to do. He didn’t prevent her from seeing that Sinclair kid anymore…he had tried really hard, and he felt that it had paid off.

His gaze wandered around the room, stopping when his eyes landed on Steve, who was talking with Nancy and Jonathan. He didn’t know what they were talking about but from where he was, it looked like Jonathan and Steve were teaming up against Nancy. 

After developing a better relationship with Max, Billy had decided to make things right with Steve. He had gone to see him at school, and managed to separate him from his group of remaining friends to have a private conversation. Apologizing had been hard, but the fact that Steve hadn’t forgiven him right away had been even harder. He should have known that it wouldn’t be that easy, but he truly hadn’t considered that it could take so long for Steve to forgive him. When he felt like nothing else could be done and almost gave up, he started to see the change in Steve’s behavior. They weren’t exactly friends, but Billy assumed that knocking someone unconscious was not the best way to start a friendship. 

However, they had started to hang out together more and more often. After basketball practices, the team usually hung out after their showers, they also met at various parties. They were always surrounded by other people, but Billy found it easier to speak with Steve in the midst of a crowd. They both went to Tina’s party for the 4th of July, and ended up having a lot of alcohol - which resulted in Steve and Billy laying in the garden, having a deep conversation about girls. Billy had told Steve that he wasn’t really into girls and when Steve had looked at him with big eyes, Billy had explained himself. He had told Steve that he found some girls pretty, but nothing more, that it had been a while since he felt any attraction to any girl. Steve had let out a soft noise of surprise when he heard that, as if he couldn’t imagine his life without girls in it. 

But then Steve had furrowed his brow in contemplation, taking another sip of his beer before he turned back to Billy. “Is it possible to like boys and girls,” he’d asked, the look on his face had been priceless. To this day, months later, Billy still remembered it clearly. Billy didn’t laugh at the question and had tried his best to explain that it was indeed possible to like both men and women. He’d had that talk with one of his friends back in Cali, and was happy to share his knowledge. Steve had turned his focus back to the sky but the puzzled look had remained. It had been a real good time.

A comfortable silence had fallen after that, they had remained alone until the fireworks were about to begin. Everyone inside the house had come outside, and Billy was pissed that his moment with Steve had ended too soon. He stood and started to walk away, leaving Steve with the other guests of the party. After walking away that night, and missed the beginning of the fireworks, he’d found a little hill not far from Tina’s house and had sat there, watching the last of the display. From where he’d been, he could still see the people in Tina’s garden from the distance, and had wondered what Steve was doing at that moment.

Billy found it funny that after that night, Steve had begun to approach him more naturally, always asking questions about relationships. One day, Steve had asked Billy how a guy could be sure he liked another guy, and that it wasn’t just a “bromance.” Billy tried to find the best way to tell him that the feelings were the same as they were with girls. Steve had looked at him then, had let out a soft “oh,” and nodded.

He didn’t really remember how it had happened, but they started flirting with each other. It was innocent at first, Billy didn’t want to scare Steve, but then it had gradually become more heated, until one day when Steve had asked Billy to stop by his house after school. After dropping Max off at the house where Susan waited, he went to Steve’s to see what was going on. Upon his arrival, Billy had found Steve looking like a nervous wreck, unlike Billy had ever seen him. He’d asked him what was wrong and Steve had told him everything - that he kind of suspected that he had feelings for a boy. Upon hearing Steve’s confession, Billy had felt his insides twist. Without realizing it, he had become the gay best friend. In the moment, he’d faked happiness and told Steve to go get the guy because there was nothing worse than pining, as Billy was well aware. He had turned to leave, but Steve had stopped him, grabbing him by the wrist to tell him that he was the guy. For a second or two, Billy hadn’t known what to do, had been unable to move his arms or feet, frozen in place. But then Steve had kissed him, tentative and soft.

Nothing more happened that night, though it had marked the beginning of their relationship. From that day on, they had been a pair. Obviously, they couldn’t show their love like any other teenagers in Hawkins, but it was okay for Billy, he had grown accustomed to the secrecy. However, he noticed that Steve would occasionally let out a sigh of frustration, especially when they were with Nancy and Jonathan. At first, Billy had thought that Steve wasn’t completely over Nancy, though when he’d shared his concerns Steve had been quick to reassure him. 

“No, no! It’s not about them, it’s just…Ah!” He had stopped mid-sentence and tried to find a way to express his frustration. “Why can’t we hold hands like everyone else?” Steve had asked with a hurt look on his face.  

After Steve had voiced his frustration, Billy had tried to give Steve a sense of normality, even if they still had to hide their feelings. It wasn’t easy, but he always tried. Now, Steve was used to this and didn’t mind as much. Of course, he still wished he could kiss Billy whenever he wanted, but what they had was better than nothing at all.

As if he were aware that he was being observed, Steve stopped talking and turned his head toward Billy, giving him a nod of acknowledgment. 

“Billy ?” Steve called out, questioningly.

“Yeah?”

“Do you mind being my ride to Tina’s party later?” 

Billy shot him a look of confusion. Of course he didn’t mind spending more time alone with Steve, he was just worried that it might be too obvious for them to leave the Byers’ house together, and  then arrive at Tina’s party together. Steve left his place next to Nancy and Jonathan, situating himself closer to Billy to finish their conversation more discreetly. 

“I mean,” he started as he sat on the armrest of the couch next to Billy, “Nancy is going to go with Jonathan of course, and we could all go in his car, but maybe they want some privacy, I don’t know?”

“…And you both have to come back here anyways after that,” Ms. Byers added. 

Billy shrugged, she had a good point. After Tina's’ party, he would have to come back here to pick up Max, and Steve was probably on duty to take Dustin back to home as well. Sharing a car with only Steve was better than sharing with everyone else, though. 

“Yeah, okay.”

“Great!” Steve got up and went back to his previous seat to continue his conversation with Nancy and Jonathan.

Billy stood and went to see what Max was up to. When he found her, she had moved to Will’s room with the other kids, and as Billy suspected, they were playing some board game. 

“Max, I’m gonna go. I’ll be back around 12.30, alright?”

Max smiled, not taking her eyes off the board game, and raised her thumbs in response, saying “No problem, have fun.”

“Thanks.” He went back to the living room to grab his jacket, “Harrington, we’re leaving.”

“Oh okay,” Steve looked at his watch and decided that it was indeed a good time to go. “See you there,” he said to Nancy and Jonathan who nodded in answer.

Steve shrugged on his jacket, grabbed his scarf, and headed outside after thanking Ms. Byers for her hospitality. Billy was waiting for him, leaning against his car. When Steve was close enough, Billy opened the door for him. 

“Thanks babe,” he said as Billy closed the door behind him and walked around to the driver side. 

With that, Billy started the car, the engine roaring to life as he pulled away. Steve put the radio on and let himself be driven to Tina’s house. 

When they arrived at Tina’s, they greeted everyone before moving to the kitchen to grab a beer. Billy made his way to the couch to chat with a guy from the basketball team, while Steve headed outside, passing Nancy and Jonathan on their way in. 

“It’s almost time guys,” some random guy shouted from his place on the stairs, where he’d gone to be a bit higher than the crowd packed in the house and so that everyone could hear him.

Billy glanced down at his watch before heading straight to Steve. 

“Follow me,” he told him as he grabbed his beer and dropped it onto the nearest horizontal surface. Steve did as instructed, following Billy outside of the house, through the garden, and out into the street and further away from Tina’s house. 

“Where are we going? We’re going to miss the fireworks.”

“Then hurry,” Billy said as he started to jog. He glanced around, and after checking that no one was in the street, grabbed Steve’s hand to pull him along.

They ran for less than a minute before they reached the little hill where Billy had gone after leaving the party for the 4th of July. He sat there and told Steve to sit next to him. Steve looked a little confused.

“Why did you bring me here? Everyone else is over there…”

He didn’t have time to finish his sentence before he was cut off by a loud bang. He whipped his head towards the noise and saw the first fireworks of the night. Billy shifted toward him, dropped his hand to Steve’s neck and turned his head so he could kiss him.

“Happy new year.” Billy whispered as he broke the kiss, “I thought you deserved a midnight kiss like everyone else.” He licked his lips in an effort to keep Steve’s taste in his mouth. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to kiss you if we stayed there, so I decided to bring you here.” Once again, he wanted to give Steve some sense of normality, and didn’t want to leave him unkissed as they welcomed the new year. “Sorry we missed the party,” he offered with a sheepish smirk.

“Don’t be, this is perfect.” Steve was looking at him with a glow in his eyes. He wondered how Billy, who was always trying to play tough, could also be the most considerate person in his life. Billy was always so soft when they were together, and Steve was almost appreciative of the fact that they had to stay hidden to share these moments because it meant that he was the only one allowed to see this side of Billy.

Steve inched closer to his boyfriend and placed his head on Billy’s shoulder to watch the fireworks. Billy wrapped an arm around Steve and enjoyed the uninhibited moment outside, relishing the ability to be openly in love, as the attention of anyone around would be on the display in the sky. 

After one last passionate kiss, they headed back to Tina’s party, parting ways once they reached the garden. Steve stayed outside, while Billy made his way back inside to the living room. 

“Where have you been? I’ve looked everywhere,” Nancy demanded when she finally spotted Steve.

“Clearly not everywhere, I was right over there,” he assured her, pointing in a random direction, knowing perfectly that he hadn’t been there. “Happy new year guys,” Steve said with a smirk.

 


End file.
